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The question and answer session is the most difficult part of a presentation and some presenters don’t like it. You never know what questions will be asked, so you can’t really prepare and you feel nervous. The problem is you have to say something quickly and don’t have the time to think of a clever reply.
That’s why it’s important to try and predict all the questions you might be asked. Before a presentation, always make a list of questions you expect people ask. Then think about possible answers and practice them. Sometimes even get friends and colleagues to ask you questions. Of course, you can’t anticipate all the questions but at least you don’t need to worry about the ones you have thought about. You feel much more confident this way. But if you know who your audience is, it is possible to anticipate most of the questions you expect to be asked.
1 It’s important to try and __________________________________________.
2 Before a presentation, always make _________________________________.
3 Think about possible _____________________________________________.
4 At least you don’t need to worry about the ones _______________________.
5 Thus you feel much ______________________________________________.
Exercise 6.2. Match the two parts to make sentences dealing with questions.
| 1 I’m afraid I didn’t | (a) I frequently get asked. |
| 2 I’m afraid I’m not in a position to answer | (b) but I’ll try to find out for you. |
| 3 That’s actually a question | (c) we’re here to discuss today. |
| 4 I’m sorry; could you repeat | (d) after the presentation. |
| 5 If you don't mind, | (e) do you think? |
| 6 I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question, | (f) quite catch that. |
| 7 Perhaps we could deal with this | (g) your question, please? |
| 8 I’m sorry, but I missed that. Could you say | (h) good question. |
| 9 That’s a very | (i) your question. You’re asking... |
| 10 I’m afraid that's not really what | (j) I’d prefer not to discuss that today. |
| 11 I’m afraid I don’t have that | (k) that question at the moment. |
| 12 I’m sorry, but I don’t quite follow/understand/see what you mean. Could you | (l) just explain that some more, please? |
| 13 Let me just check that I have understood | (m) that again, please? |
| 14 Interesting question. What | (n) information with me. |
Exercise 6.3. Now decide which of the sentences in Exercise 6.2 you can use to:
| ask for clarifying questions | admit you don’t know the answer |
| 1 I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that. | 2 I’m afraid I’m not in a position to answer that question at the moment. |
| - | |
| respond to good questions | avoid giving an answer |
| 3 That’s actually a question I frequently get asked. | 5 If you don’t mind, I’d prefer not to discuss that today. |
| - |
Read & Reflect
| Useful Information ANSWERING STRATEGIES You need to decide when you want to answer questions. Allowing questions during your talk usually creates a rather informal, relaxed and friendly atmosphere because the questioner shows some respect for the presenter. You can answer questions directly and involve the audience. On the other hand, answering after the presentation gives you more control of your structure and timing. If you want questions after the talk, you can say that your time frame is very tight or the topic is rather complex. Sometimes you may be asked questions during the presentation, even if you have asked the audience to wait. Whereas some questions can and should be answered quickly (for example, when a participant has not understood something you have said), you might prefer to postpone unwelcome questions or comments using the following phrases: If you don’t mind, I’ll deal with this question (come back to this question) later in my presentation. Can we get back to that a bit later? Would you mind waiting with your questions until the question and answer session at the end? Can we get back to this point a bit later? I would prefer to answer your question in the course of my presentation. Would you mind waiting until the question and answer session at the end? Perhaps we could go over this after the presentation. After answering questions, especially those that require a long answer, it is sometimes necessary to remind the audience what you were talking about before the interruption. You can use the following phrases: Before we continue, let me briefly summarize the points we were discussing. So, back to what I was saying about … So, now I’d like to return to what we were discussing earlier. |
Exercise 6.4. Now you will listen to nine extracts from different presentations. Say in which one the presenter:
|
postpones questions | |
|
responds to irrelevant questions | |
| avoids giving a direct answer to a question | |
Read & Reflect
| Useful Information REFORMULATING QUESTIONS It is sometimes necessary to reformulate a question (i.e. say it in another way) before answering it. This not only gives you time to think, it also allows you to make sure you have understood the question. With a large or noisy audience, it allows the other participants to hear the question (again) and finally, it gives you the chance to change the tone of the question, e.g. by making it less aggressive. You can use the following phrases to reformulate questions: I see. So, what you’re asking is... If I understand you correctly, you want to know... OK, let me just repeat your question so everybody can hear it. If I could just rephrase your question ... So, you are asking … So, your question is about … The question is about … You would like to know … |
Дата: 2019-03-05, просмотров: 450.